1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for testing both of a test burn-in board (hereinafter, it may be simply referred to "TBIB") and a device under test, in particular, it relates to a test burn-in board handler for inserting and pulling out a device under test in and from a TBIB in a test burn-in process for the device under test, such as an integrated circuit (IC).
2. Description of Related Art
For an apparatus for carrying out a screening test, such as a burn-in process in order to remove a semiconductor device having an inherent defect or a device leading a failure depending on time and stress because of variation of production, a burn-in apparatus has been known.
Before the burn-in, a pretest of the device under test is carried out in the test burn-in board handler, as described later.
The test burn-in board handler (hereinafter, it may be simply referred to "TBIB handler") is used for the devices, such as, for instance, memory integrated circuits of a TSOP type or a SOJ type, which are surface mounting types.
Next, the organization of the TBIB handler in earlier technology will be explained as follows with referring to FIG. 2.
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1A denotes an IC under test (hereinafter, it may be simply referred to "IC"), reference numeral 5 denotes a tray, reference numeral 8 denotes a carrier rack, reference numeral 20 denotes a TBIB handler, reference numeral 21 denotes a TBIB, reference numeral 22 denotes an IC test circuit, reference numeral 26 denotes an alignment stage, and reference numeral 27 denotes a test stage.
In FIG. 2, recess portions are formed crosswise in the tray 5, which are partly shown in the Figure, wherein the ICs 1A are loaded. The trays 5, for example, 35 pieces thereof are piled up. The respective ICs 1A are transferred one after another from the trays 5 to the alignment stages 26 by a hand with a vacuum absorbing system, which is not shown.
The ICs 1A are loaded in recess portions formed in the alignment stages 26 and having shapes which are slightly larger than the external shapes of the ICs 1A, where attitudes of the ICs 1A are straightened. The ICs 1A of which attitudes are straightened are transferred from the alignment stages 26 to the test stages 27 by the hand with the vacuum absorbing system.
On the test stages 27, IC sockets as electrodes are disposed and electrically connected to the IC test circuit 22. The ICs 1A which are in contacted with the IC sockets are tested by the IC test circuit 22.
The IC test circuit 22 performs the pretest of the ICs 1A by a simplified function test before the burn-in test of the ICs 1A. The ICs 1A judged non-defective by the IC test circuit 22 are transferred to the TBIB 21 described later and inserted in IC sockets on the TBIB 21.
In the carrier rack 8, the TBIBs 21 in which the ICs 1A are not inserted are piled. A piece of TBIB 21 is took out from the carrier rack 8 and transferred to the inserting position for the ICs 1A.
At the inserting position, as above-described, the ICs 1A with non-defective are transferred from the test stages 27 to the TBIB 21 and inserted in the IC sockets thereon. When the predetermined number of ICs 1A are inserted in the TBIB 21, the TBIB 21 is returned to the carrier rack 8.
After the ICs 1A are inserted in all TBIBs 21 in the carrier rack 8, the carrier rack 8 is transferred to the burn-in apparatus performing the burn-in test which is the next process. Then, a series of operations of the TBIB handler 20 are completed.
With the TBIB handler 20 having the structure as shown in FIG. 2, the ICs 1A determined non-defective by the IC test circuit 22 are mounted on the TBIBs 21, however, after the ICs 1A are mounted on the TBIBs 21, the pretest of the ICs 1A is not carried out by the IC test circuit 22.
Accordingly, in the burn-in test in the next process, when it is judged defective because of a contact failure between the IC socket on the TBIB 21 and the IC 1A, the IC 1A is removed from the IC socket at the position by a manual work.